The Little Mermaid (TV series)
| creator = | developer = | writer = | based_on = | director = | creative_director = | starring = | theme_music_composer = | opentheme = "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl" | endtheme = "Under the Sea" | composer = | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 3 | num_episodes = 31 | list_episodes = #Episodes | producer = | editor = Elen Orson | runtime = 22 minutes | company = | distributor = Buena Vista Television Warner Bros. Television Distribution | channel = CBS | picture_format = Color | audio_format = Stereo | first_aired = | last_aired = | preceded_by = ''The Little Mermaid | followed_by = }} Disney's The Little Mermaid is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, Warner Bros. Animation, Amblin Entertainment, American Zoetrope and Geffen Television based on the 1989 Disney and Warner Bros. film of the same name. It features the adventures of Ariel as a mermaid prior to the events of the film. This series is the first Disney television series to be spun off from a major animated film. Some of the voice actors of the film reprise their roles in the series, among them Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Kenneth Mars as King Triton and Pat Carroll as Ursula. Other voice actors include Edan Gross and Bradley Pierce as Flounder, and Jeff Bennett as Prince Eric. The Little Mermaid premiered in the fall of 1992 with the animated prime time special called "A Whale of a Tale", then moved to Saturday mornings. This series originally appeared on CBS, with an original run from 1992 to 1994 (prior to Disney's purchase of rival ABC). Disney Channel reran the series from October 2nd, 1995 to September 29th, 2002 and again from September 5th, 2006, to July 4th, 2010. Some of the episodes contain musical segments, featuring original songs written for the series. The opening theme to the show is an instrumental combination of the songs "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl". The overture for the stage musical of The Little Mermaid is similar to this. Premise The Little Mermaid television series is a prequel to the movie of the same name. The story is set before the events in the 1989 film, and follows Ariel's adventures as a mermaid still living under the sea with her father, Sebastian the crab and Flounder the fish. Various episodes highlight her relationships with her friends, father and sisters, and usually involve Ariel foiling the attempts of various enemies that intend ill harm to her or her kingdom. A prequel film, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, was released in 2008 containing events that contradict the television series (such as Ariel's youth and first meeting with Flounder), making the TV series and Ariel's Beginning independent continuities. Development After the success of the 1989 movie, The Walt Disney Company planned to produce a children's television series for its Disney Channel cable outlet called "The Little Mermaid's Island". The proposed series would feature puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop interacting with a "live" Ariel. As the video release of The Little Mermaid soared in sales during 1990 and early 1991, Disney quietly dropped plans for "The Little Mermaid's Island" in favor of a more ambitious plan: an animated weekly series for the CBS network. The new show would concern the adventures of Ariel and her friends before the events in the movie. Jamie Mitchell, an artist and graphic designer who worked on Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, was named the producer and director of the new series. Patsy Cameron and Tedd Anasti were the story editors and wrote almost all of the episodes for the show's second and third seasons. Their previous joint work included Hanna-Barbera's The Smurfs, the animated Beetlejuice and Disney's DuckTales. Some of the artists and technicians on the feature film also contributed to the TV series. Mark Dindal, chief of special animated effects for the movie, was a consultant for special effects on the TV show. Robby Merkin, who worked with Alan Menken and Howard Ashman on arranging the songs for the movie, worked as the arranger and music producer for the first season of the TV show. Conscious of the worldwide acclaim for the movie's superior artistry, Walt Disney Television Animation auditioned the best overseas animation studios. In the world of TV animation, farming most of the artwork out to Asian studios is an economic reality due to lower production costs and wages abroad. Studios in Korea, Japan and the Philippines contributed to the series. Broadcast The show's broadcast debut in September 1992 was in the form of a half-hour prime-time special, "The Little Mermaid: A Whale of a Tale". Its Saturday morning debut came the very next day. The show's time slot was 8:30 a.m., following another new animated series, Fievel's American Tails, based on the animated movie An American Tail. The Little Mermaid series drew a fair bit of media attention, including more than one spot on Entertainment Tonight, because it was the first series based directly on a Disney animated feature and was a rare television cartoon concerning a strong female character. The show kept its time slot the following year with its second season. For the series' third season, the show was moved to the 8 a.m. time period and was the lead-in for a new Disney animated series, Aladdin. This was to be the show's last season in original production; CBS elected not to buy another batch of episodes. On October 2, 1995, Disney Channel began rerunning the show seven days a week.The Disney Channel Magazine (vol. 13) no. 5, October/November 1995: pp. 36, 46, 54. The show was broadcast on Disney Channel until 2010. It was also shown on Toon Disney until 2007. The series then aired on Disney Junior from the channel's launch in 2012 until 2014.In 2011 the series ran until 2018 on Disney Junior Africa. Characters From the 1989 film *Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson) – is the youngest daughter of the sea king. She loves singing and going on adventures. She also has developed magic in season 2 (episode 9) to save her world. *Flounder (voiced by Edan Gross in season 1, and by Bradley Pierce in seasons 2–3) – Ariel's best friend, a bright yellow and blue colored tropical reef fish who follows along on her adventures, and can be easily scared. *Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) – A small red Jamaican-accented crab who acts as the king's adviser, court musician, a teacher, a scout leader and a baby-sitter-like figure for Ariel. *King Triton (voiced by Kenneth Mars) – is Ariel's father and ruler of Atlantica who protects his kingdom with his magic trident. *Scuttle (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – is a clumsy seagull who is friends with Ariel. He first appears in the episode "Scuttle". At first Ariel is afraid of him, but they become friends after he helps them rescue Sebastian. *Attina (voiced by Kath Soucie): *Aquata (voiced by Mona Marshall), *Andrina (voiced by Catherine Cavadini), *Arista (voiced by Mary Kay Bergman): Arista is one of Ariel's sisters. She has blond cream coloured hair tied in a half ponytail hair style and has a red tail and red seashells. *Adella (voiced by Sherry Lynn) *Alana (voiced by Kimmy Robertson) is one of Ariel's six older sisters. *Glut, a shark who tries to eat Ariel. *Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll) is a powerful cecaelian sea witch who occasionally antagonizes Ariel. *Flotsam and Jetsam (voiced by Paddi Edwards) – They are Ursula's green moray eel informers who spy others and show Ursula what they are seeing with their magic yellow eye, they have one eye white and the other yellow. *Prince Eric (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Ariel's future husband. His first appearance is in the episode "Thingamajigger" and appears occasionally throughout the seasons with his dog, Max, as a puppy. Ariel first sees him saving a dolphin from a net, which technically makes this scene the first time she has ever seen Prince Eric, but does not know who he is. Eric also sees Ariel swimming on the surface for a couple of seconds but no one believed him. Original characters *Urchin (voiced by Danny Cooksey) – He is a young orphan merboy and Ariel's friend. He shares her love for adventure and is unofficially her adopted brother, and at one point starts to develop romantic feelings for Ariel. * The Lobster Mobster (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – A red-violet lobster gangster following the style of the 1920s gangster stereotype. Da Shrimp (voiced by David Lander) is his sidekick. * The Evil Manta (voiced by Tim Curry) – An evil human/manta ray hybrid who repeatedly tries to take over Atlantica. He has a son named Little Evil who Ariel befriends in the episode "A Little Evil". * Pearl (voiced by Cree Summer) – A spoiled, thrill-seeking mermaid whose actions often lead to Ariel, as well as herself, getting in trouble. *Spot (voiced by Frank Welker) – A killer whale calf whom Ariel adopted and secretly raised in the palace. * Simon (voiced by Brian Cummings) - A lonely, but friendly lavender-colored sea dragon whom Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder befriend. *Gabriella – A deaf-mute Latino mermaid who dreams of being able to sing. Gabriella's sign language is translated by her blue octopus friend Ollie (who is voiced by Whitby Hertford). This character is based on a real person who was a fan of the show and died during its first season. * Moray (voiced by Dave Coulier) – A dark green moray eel salesman and con-artist who occasionally sells items to Ariel that alternately help her or get her into trouble. * The Crabscouts (occasionally voiced by J.D. Daniels, Anndi McAfee, Bradley Pierce, Malachi Pearson, and Whitby Hertford) – Crab children, consisting of two boys and one girl, who are under the mentorship of Sebastian in a scout-like troop. * Flo and Ebb (voiced by Kath Soucie and Richard Karron) – Two brown alligator criminals who appear in the episode "Beached". * The Magical Wishing Starfish (voiced by Tony Jay) – A giant starfish with a beard and crown who only appears in the episode "Wish Upon A Starfish". * Emperor Sharga (voiced by Jim Cummings) – Ruler of the Sharkanians, the aggressive shark-people who live in Sharkania similar to the merfolk who live in Atlantica. Sharga wishes to take over Atlantica someday. *The Ancient Seaclops (voiced by Jim Cummings) – An ancient one-eyed sea monster whose primary objective is to sleep every 1,000 years and wants to see it through more than anything else. He gets very angry when he is woken up abruptly by any loud noise and appeared in the episode "Calliope Dreams". *Dudley (voiced by Lawrence Montaigne) is an elderly sea turtle who serves as an assistant to King Triton other than Sebastian. He walks on the ocean floor unlike other sea turtles. *Hans Christian Andersen (voiced by Mark Hamill) – A fictionalised version of the author Hans Christian Andersen, who appears in the episode "Metal Fish" where he rides a fish-shaped submarine and sees Ariel, which inspires him to write the story "The Little Mermaid". *Archimedes (voiced by Rod McKuen) – A merman who knows about human things, appearing in "Metal Fish". Episodes Series overview | end1 = | color2 = #30314f | link2 = #Season 2 (1993) | episodes2 = 9 | start2 = | end2 = | color3 = #82158c | link3 = #Season 3 (1994) | episodes3 = 8 | start3 = | end3 = }} Season 1 (1992) |ShortSummary=Ariel becomes friends with a baby killer whale that was separated from his family because of human poachers, but Triton insists that he be sent away once he has been taught how to survive on his own. Notes: this is the pilot episode. The title is a reference to "A Whale of a Tale" from the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Screenplay: Peter S. Beagle. Music: "Just a Little Love", performed by Jodi Benson and "You've Got to Be You", performed by Samuel E. Wright. |ProdCode=1 }} |ShortSummary=Sebastian tells Triton that he is capable of making a deal with the Sharkanians (a race of shark-like merpeople with an attitude to match), but in truth, he is petrified of them and Ariel and Flounder must tag along to help him make the process go smoothly. |ProdCode=2 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel rides a wild sea horse named Stormy against her father's wishes and gets lost in the wilderness with Stormy. Music: "The Edge of the Edge of the Sea", performed by Jodi Benson. |ProdCode=3 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel became friends with an orphaned merboy who has fallen in with the underwater gangster 'the Lobster Mobster' (Note: this is the first appearance of Urchin). Music: "The Lobster Mobster's Mob", performed by Joe Alaskey and David Lander. |ProdCode=4 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel babysits two mischievous mertwins. As lively as the twins are, matters are complicated by the Lobster Mobster, who kidnaps the twins to gain their mother's pearl necklace. Music: "Beddie-Bye Blues" Performed by Joe Alaskey and David Lander. |ProdCode=5 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel befriends Simon, a lonely sea dragon after she, Sebastian and Flounder discover his message that he sent in a bottle. Music: "Sing a New Song", performed by Jodi Benson. |ProdCode=6 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel puts on a human bracelet, but finds it hard to take it off afterwards. Afraid of how her father would react when he sees her wearing a human thing, she runs away from home and goes off to find the key to the lock of the bracelet. However, the moment that she finds it, a giant whirlpool traps her in a horrible underwater cave. |ProdCode=9 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel believes her father King Triton is setting her up for an arranged marriage with a snobbish merman-prince of another sea kingdom of Olympia named Prince Thor, and her good friends go to great lengths to prevent this from happening. |ProdCode=10 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel accidentally frees a dark figure known as the Evil Manta, who tries to take over Atlantica using deception and lies to turn its merpeople and the sea creatures against each other. To make things even worse, he even tries to turn Flounder against Ariel. Music: "In Harmony", performed by Jodi Benson. |ProdCode=7 }} |ShortSummary=When a pirate's boot falls into the sea, Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder try to figure out what it is, culminating in the Lobster Mobster and the Evil Manta both mistaking it for a weapon. Note: This marks the very first appearances of Ariel's romantic interest and human lover, Prince Eric, and his dog Max (as a puppy) in the TV series. |ProdCode=8 }} |ShortSummary= A magic spell turns King Triton into a young and energetic merboy, and Ariel has to play "mother" to him. Music: "Dis is de Life", performed by Samuel E. Wright. |ProdCode=12 }} |ShortSummary=Before a family trip to the Carnival of Tides on the tide, Ariel and Arista get into a fight and are "beached" (grounded); and Sebastian has to stay and look after them. Two gators attempt to steal the royal treasure. Ariel and Arista not only learn more about each other and have an adventure together, but they also learn to work together and to get along. |ProdCode=13 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel looks for the perfect Father's Day gift to give to King Triton, but it leads her to misfortune when a giant octopus traps them in a cave, forcing Urchin to try and steal the trident so that he can save the day. |ProdCode=14 }} |ShortSummary=Pearl, a mermaid who is obsessed with partying, takes Ariel and her sixth eldest sister, Alana, to Eel-Ectric City instead of to her house, while Sebastian and Flounder follow. In the end Ariel and Alana are beached (Note: this is Ariel's second time getting beached). |ProdCode=11 }} }} Season 2 (1993) |ShortSummary=Sebastian quits his job as King Triton's royal confidant and advisor and tries to make a new life for himself. At the same time, the dreaded Red Tide returns and threatens to consume all of Atlantica. Music: "You Know I Know", performed by Samuel E. Wright and "Never Give Up", performed by Jodi Benson and Samuel E. Wright. |ProdCode=15 }} |ShortSummary= King Triton wants Ariel to play the sea calliope: an instrument resembling an organ. However, she instead wants to play the new harp she found. The music from the calliope awakens the Seaclops. It is up to Ariel and friends to find a way to put the Seaclops to sleep again (in this episode, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has a cameo appearance). King Triton's paternal grandfather (Ariel's great-grandfather) also appears for the first time and Pearl makes her third appearance. |ProdCode=16 }} |ShortSummary=Spot, the killer whale from the pilot episode, returns. Spot and Sebastian get captured by a crazed circus owner, and Ariel has to save them. |ProdCode=18 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel rescues a Bad-Luck Creature named Lucky, putting all of Atlantica in a panic, and must make her own luck when Ursula comes after the creature after her potions have been backfiring countless times. Music: "You Wouldn't Want to Mess with Me", performed by Pat Carroll. |ProdCode=17 }} |ShortSummary=A grumpy sorcerer blowfish's magic spell causes Ariel to create sea quakes whenever she laughs, then Flounder and Sebastian turn into a shark, a killer whale, a giant squid and a humpback whale, and then swap bodies. Music: "The Sound of Laughter", performed by Samuel E. Wright. |ProdCode=19 }} |ShortSummary=A big wave grabs a ballerina music box during a thunderstorm, and Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian try to get it, but it is unable to reach. Ariel befriends a deaf-mute Latina mermaid named Gabriela, and both of them decide to seek out the magical Wishing Starfish (voiced by Tony Jay) to make their dreams come true. (Note: this is the first appearance of Gabriela. Also, the title is a play on "When You Wish upon a Star" from the Disney animated film Pinocchio). Music: "Daring to Dance", performed by Jodi Benson. |ProdCode=20 }} |ShortSummary=Sebastian feels threatened by Zeus, an old arch-rival crab who is better than him at everything, while Ursula works on a plan to turn Triton, Ariel, and others into sea polyps by using a magic stone (Note: this episode is a parody of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens). |ProdCode=21 }} |ShortSummary=A human explorer-known in the episode as the author of the original The Little Mermaid story, Hans Christian Andersen-boards a primitive submarine to explore the undersea realm, and crosses paths with Ariel when his submarine is damaged and starts to leak. Note: this episode ends with Kenneth Mars, the voice of King Triton, telling children a message that Hans Christian Andersen wrote the original story and to find his books at your local library. |ProdCode=23 }} |ShortSummary=Ariel enters a magic cave to become a sea witch and uses her newfound magical abilities to make Sebastian a great big crab. Unfortunately, she is not quite specific about the size she wishes Sebastian to attain, thus causing quite a commotion wherever he goes. |ProdCode=22 }} }} Season 3 (1994) |ShortSummary=Ariel meets Scuttle for the first time and must use his help to rescue Sebastian from a gang of pirates. Note: This marks the second appearance of Prince Eric, and Scuttle's original name is said to be Scuttlebutt, but he changed it. Music: "I Just Like The Sky" and "Just Give Me a Chance", performed by Maurice LaMarche. |ProdCode=24 }} |ShortSummary=Sebastian realizes that his parents are coming to visit and must try to create a huge scheme to make it appear that he is the king of Atlantica like he wrote in his letters to them. |ProdCode=26 }} |ShortSummary=A mad scientist captures Sebastian and tries to use him for sinister experiments, while Sebastian bonds with his young apprentice, and it is up to Ariel, Flounder and Scuttle to rescue him. |ProdCode=25 }} |ShortSummary=During a trip to the North Pole, Ariel finds frozen dinosaurs and thaws them with her father's trident. Somehow, they are aquatic and cause chaos before King Triton makes a refuge for them on land. |ProdCode=27 }} |ShortSummary=Apollo, a great Atlantican hero, comes to visit, and Ariel wants to go on an adventure with him, only to learn that he is not all that he is cracked up to be. |ProdCode=28 }} |ShortSummary=Flounder gets bitten by a howling hairfish and starts to turn into one, and Sebastian and Urchin get into a fight because Urchin broke Sebastian's trophy that King Triton gave to him for his anniversary by the howling hairfish that bit Flounder. |ProdCode=29 }} |ShortSummary=Gabriella returns to visit Ariel as she shows her all of her new human things. However, Ursula's spell causes her treasures to go crazy and begin attacking innocent fish and merpeople. Note: Prince Eric makes his third appearance. |ProdCode=31 }} |ShortSummary=The Evil Manta returns and introduces his son, who he wants to be just as evil as he is. Unfortunately, when his son befriends Ariel and goes to the merpeople's school and spends time with her, he starts to get other "good" ideas in his head. Music: "Just Like Me", performed by Tim Curry. |ProdCode=30 }} }} Music Songs (in chronological order) * Just a Little Love - (Ariel) * You Got to Be You - (Sebastian) * To the Edge of the Edge of the Sea - (Ariel) * To the Edge of the Edge of the Sea (Reprise) - (Ariel) * The Lobster Mobster's Mob - (the Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp) * The Lobster Mobster's Mob (Reprise) - (Da Shrimp) * Beddie-Bye Blues - (the Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp) * Sing a New Song - (Ariel and Simon) * In Harmony - (Ariel) * In Harmony (Reprise) - (Ariel) * Dis is de Life - (Sebastian) * You Know I Know - (Sebastian) * You Know I Know (Reprise) - (Sebastian) * Never Give Up - (Ariel and Sebastian) * Everybody Cha-Cha-Cha - (Sebastian) * You Wouldn't Want to Mess with Me - (Ursula) * You Wouldn't Want to Mess with Me (Reprise) - (Ursula) * The Sound of Laughter - (Sebastian) * The Sound of Laughter (Repeat) - (Sebastian) * Daring to Dance - (Ariel) * Daring to Dance (Reprise) - (Ariel) * Hail Apollo, Defender of the Sea - (Atlantica's Army) * I Just Like The Sky - (Scuttle) * Just Give Me A Chance - (Scuttle) * Just Give Me A Chance (Reprise) - (Scuttle) * I Go to the Beach - (Sebastian) * Just Like Me - (the Evil Manta) * Let's Play Princess (With Ariel) (opening for Princess Collection VHS) Music CD album release: Home release VHS releases Seven VHS cassettes containing 14 episodes of the series were released in the United States. Ariel's Undersea Adventures: Princess Collection: United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand releases 11 VHS cassettes containing 22 episodes of the series were released in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Ariel's Undersea Adventures: Princess Collection: DVD releases The series has not yet been officially released on DVD. However, four episodes were released as part of the Disney Princess DVD releases. Digital release (streaming services) As of August 24, 2018, all 31 episodes of the series are available for purchase on iTunes The Little Mermaid TV series on iTunes and Amazon Video The Little Mermaid: Prime Video in two volumes in High Definition (HD). Spin-off The series was made into a spin-off as a segment of the TV series Marsupilami starring Sebastian the crab, which is located outside the sea after the wedding between Ariel and Eric in the film. References External links * * * Category:1990s American animated television series Category:1992 American television series debuts Category:1994 American television series endings Category:American animated television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:American children's animated adventure television series Category:American children's animated fantasy television series Category:American prequel television series Category:CBS network shows Category:Disney Channel shows TV series Category:English-language television programs Category:Family Channel shows Category:Mermaids in television Category:Television programs based on films Category:Television series based on Disney films Category:Television series based on adaptations Category:Television series by Disney Television Animation Category:Magical girl television series Category:Television series about princesses Category:Television series scored by Basil Poledouris Category:Television series scored by Brad Fiedel Category:Television series scored by Leonard Rosenman